What to Do When the Cook Doesn’t Show Up

My wife and I had an impromptu lunch a few weeks ago at Harry’s Burritos on 71st and Columbus Avenue in Manhattan.   Our waiter looked flustered when he seated us, and lunch took about forty-five minutes to arrive, way longer than we expected.

When my wife asked the manager why service was so slow, he responded that one of the two cooks had simply not shown up for work, and the single cook was overwhelmed.  He comped us for half our meal.   The food was very good when it finally arrived, and we left feeling sorry for the mom with two young sons at the table behind us, who still hadn’t received her food.

Probably Harry’s Burritos should have closed off part of the restaurant (rather than seating a full lunch crowd), or at least simplified the lunch menu.  Warning customers in advance that it was going to be a longer-than-average wait would have been nice too!